Automatic remote communication using network telephony

ABSTRACT

The present invention is a method and apparatus to provide remote communication using network telephony. In a transmitter, an activation message is decoded to generate an activation command. The activation message is sent from an activator via a communication medium in response to a telephony call. An information message is transmitted, responsive to the activation command, to a receiver using a communication protocol. In a receiver, an activation message is decoded to generate an activation command. The activation message is sent in response to a telephone call. An information message is received, responsive to the activation command. The information message is sent from a transmitter according to a communication protocol via a communication medium.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.13/929,508, filed Jun. 27, 2013, entitled AUTOMATIC REMOTE COMMUNICATIONUSING NETWORK TELEPHONY which claims priority to U.S. patent applicationSer. No.: 13/566,156, filed Aug. 3, 2012, entitled AUTOMATIC REMOTECOMMUNICATION USING NETWORK TELEPHONY, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,478,296,issued Jul. 2, 2013, which claims priority to U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 13/007,576, filed Jan. 14, 2011, entitled AUTOMATIC REMOTECOMMUNICATION USING NETWORK TELEPHONY, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,265,653,issued Sep. 11, 2012, which claims priority to U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 09/522,325, filed Mar. 9, 2000, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,890,117,issued Feb. 15, 2011, the entirety of all of which are incorporatedherein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to computer networks. In particular, theinvention relates to network telephony.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Packet-based data networks are widely used to link various nodes, suchas personal computers, servers, gateways, and so forth. Packet-baseddata networks include private networks, such as local area networks(LANs), Metropolitan Area Networks (MANs), Wide Area Networks (WANs),and public networks, such as the Internet. The increased availability ofsuch data networks has increased accessibility among nodes, whether thenodes are located in close proximity to each other (such as within anorganization) or at far distances from each other. Popular forms ofcommunications across such data networks include electronic mail, filetransfer, web browsing, and other exchanges of digital data.

With the increase capacity and reliability of data networks, voicecommunications over data networks, including private and publicnetworks, have become possible. Voice communications over packet-baseddata networks are unlike voice communications in a conventional publicswitch telephone network (PSTN), which provides users with dedicatedend-to-end circuit connections for the duration of each call.Communications over data networks, such as IP (Internet Protocol)networks, are performed using packets that are sent in bursts from thesource to one or more destination nodes. To enable voice communicationsbetween end points on a data network, a virtual circuit connection isestablished between the end points. Voice data sent over a data networkhas to share the network bandwidth with conventional non-voice data(e.g., electronic mail, file transfer, web access, and other traffic).One standard that has been implemented for communications of voice aswell as other data is the H.323 recommendation from theTelecommunications Sector of the International Telecommunication Union(ITU-T), which describes terminals, equipment and services formultimedia communications over packet-based networks.

In an IP data network, each data packet is routed to a node havingdestination IP address contained within the header of each packet. Datapackets may be routed over separate network paths before arriving at thefinal destination for reassembly. Transmission speeds of the variouspackets may vary widely depending on the usage of data networks overwhich the data packets are transferred. During peak usage of datanetworks, delays added to the transfer of voice data packets may causepoor performance of voice communications.

Despite the increasing popularity of communicating over IP datanetworks, several applications have presented difficulties to theintegration of IP telephony in a traditional communication environment.One example is the Enhanced 911 (E911) emergency call. The E911regulatory requirements require location information concerning wherethe 911 caller is located. With a switched network this problem wassolved by the transmission of the caller's telephone number to a PublicSafety Answering Point (PSAP) where it was cross-referenced with anaddress database to determine the caller's location. That informationwas then displayed on a video monitor for the emergency dispatcher todirect public safety personnel responding to the emergency. This enabledemergency organizations to find callers who could not orally providetheir precise location. Although this problem has been solved forconventional public switched telephone systems such as in a publicswitched telephony network, the problem still exists for data networks,and in particular, location identification using IP telephony. First,the IP telephones are not tied or physically connected to a geographicallocation and thus their locations may be dynamic. Second, theinformation retrieval is not scaleable because there are a large numberof IP domains and service provider policies (e.g., telephone companies,cable companies, and cellular companies).

A further issue is that congestion on the data network may slowemergency communications traffic. Thus there is a need forprioritization of the emergency traffic to ensure a high degree ofquality of service.

Since each IP address has no geographic association, there is noprovision for locating a network resource such as a server, a router, agateway, or an IP terminal. If a fault occurs in a network resource,there is no way of geographically locating that resource. Thus, it wouldbe desirable to provide network resources with geographic informationfor the purpose of resource location. Furthermore, it would be desirableto locate the nearest network resource to a terminal in the event thatthe terminal cannot locate its geographic position.

In addition, IP telephony has been expensive to implement forapplications involving the monitoring of environmental conditions, andremote meter reading, since each station required a dedicated connectionto the IP network. Thus, there is a need for providing IP enabledapplications with a communication means to communicate with a datanetwork.

Therefore, there is a need in the art for an efficient and low-costtechnique for automatic remote communication using telephony.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is a method and apparatus to provide remotecommunication using network telephony. In a transmitter, an activationmessage is decoded to generate an activation command. The activationmessage is sent from an activator via a communication medium in responseto a telephony call. An information message is transmitted, responsiveto the activation command, to a receiver using a communication protocol.In a receiving unit, an activation message is decoded to generate anactivation command. The activation message is sent in response to atelephony call. An information message is received, responsive to theactivation command. The information message is sent from a transmitteraccording to a communication protocol via a communication medium.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the informationmessage includes a location identifier corresponding to location of thetransmitter. The location identifier may be stored in advance ordynamically provided by GPS data. The communication protocol uses one ofa multi-frequency tone, an ultra-red signal, a microwave signal, and anelectromagnetic signal. The transmitter includes a modulator to modulatethe information message according to a modulating scheme. The receivingunit includes a demodulator to demodulate the information messageaccording to a demodulating scheme. The telephony call is made by aperson located in proximity of the location of the transmitter. Thetelephony call may be one of an emergency call using an emergency callnumber, a transactional call for a commercial transaction, or anintrusive call.

The advantages of the invention include (1) provision of accurate,secure, and trusted location information, (2) compatibility with currenttelephony, computer devices, all technologies, and regulatoryrequirements, (3) ease in integration and implementation, (4) low cost,and (5) readiness for industry acceptance and standardization.

Other aspects and features of the present invention will become apparentto those ordinarily skilled in the art upon review of the followingdescription of specific embodiments of the invention in conjunction withthe accompanying figures.

In addition, IP telephony has been expensive to implement forapplications involving the monitoring of environmental conditions, andremote meter reading, since each station required a dedicated connectionto the IP network. Thus, there is a need for providing IP enabledapplications with a communication means to communicate with a datanetwork.

Therefore, there is a need in the art for an efficient and low-costtechnique for automatic remote communication using telephony.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The features and advantages of the present invention will becomeapparent from the following detailed description of the presentinvention in which:

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a system according to one embodiment ofthe invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a transmitter shown in FIG. 1 accordingto one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a network component shown in FIG. 1according to one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a request subsystem shown in FIG. 1according to one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a process for remote communicationusing network telephony according to one embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is a method and apparatus to provide remotecommunication using network telephony. In a transmitter, an activationmessage is decoded to generate an activation command. The activationmessage is sent from an activator via a communication medium in responseto a telephony call. An information message is transmitted, responsiveto the activation command, to a receiver using a communication protocol.In a receiving unit, an activation message is decoded to generate anactivation command. The activation message is sent in response to atelephony call. An information message is received, responsive to theactivation command. The information message is sent from a transmitteraccording to a communication protocol via a communication medium.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the informationmessage includes a location identifier corresponding to location of thetransmitter. The location identifier may be stored in advance ordynamically provided by GPS data. The communication protocol uses one ofa multi-frequency tone, an ultra-red signal, a microwave signal, and anelectromagnetic signal. The transmitter includes a modulator to modulatethe information message according to a modulating scheme. The receivingunit includes a demodulator to demodulate the information messageaccording to a demodulating scheme. The telephony call is made by aperson located in proximity of the location of the transmitter. Thetelephony call may be one of an emergency call using an emergency callnumber, a transactional call for a commercial transaction, or anintrusive call. The emergency call number may be the “9-1-1” in theUnited States.

The advantages of the invention include (1) provision of accurate,secure, and trusted information, (2) compatibility with currenttelephony, computer devices, all technologies, and regulatoryrequirements, (3) ease in integration and implementation, (4) low cost,and (5) readiness for industry acceptance and standardization.

In the following description, for purposes of explanation, numerousdetails are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding ofthe present invention. However, it will be apparent to one skilled inthe art that these specific details are not required in order topractice the present invention. In other instances, well-knownelectrical structures and circuits are shown in block diagram form inorder not to obscure the present invention. For example, specificdetails are not provided as to whether the method is implemented in astation as a software routine, hardware circuit, firmware, or acombination thereof.

Embodiments of the invention may be represented as a software productstored on a machine-readable medium (also referred to as acomputer-readable medium, a processor-readable medium, or a computerusable medium having a computer readable program code embodied therein).The machine-readable medium may be any type of magnetic, optical, orelectrical storage medium including a diskette, compact disk read onlymemory (CD-ROM), memory device (volatile or non-volatile), or similarstorage mechanism. The machine-readable medium may contain various setsof instructions, code sequences, configuration information, or otherdata. Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that otherinstructions and operations necessary to implement the describedinvention may also be stored on the machine-readable medium. Softwarerunning from the machine readable medium may interface with circuitry toperform the described tasks.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a system 100 according to oneembodiment of the invention. The system 100 includes a satellite network110, N transmitters 120 ₁ to 120 _(N), a communication medium 130, anetwork component 140, a network 150, a request subsystem 160, atransaction processor 170, and a network server 180.

The satellite network 110 includes a number of GPS satellites orbitingaround the earth to provide GPS data 115 relating to positionalinformation. The GPS data 115 is received by the transmitters 120 ₁ to120 _(N) to determine the positional information.

The transmitters 120 ₁ to 120 _(N) broadcast information to the networkcomponent 140 via the communication medium 130. The information from thetransmitters 120 ₁ to 120 _(N) are embedded in signals 125 ₁ to 125_(N), respectively. The information may include location information,measurement information, or meter reading information. The transmitters120 ₁ to 120 _(N) broadcast the information either at request uponreceiving an activation request 135 from the request subsystem 160 orautomatically, either on a substantially periodic basis or continuousbasis. The communication medium 130 is any medium (e.g., air) that cancarry the signals 125 ₁ to 125 _(N) and the activation request 135. Inone embodiment, the transmitters 120 ₁ to 120 _(N) are geographicallydispersed to form a distributed location broadcast system. The locationbroadcast system is used in a number of applications that require thelocation information transmitted via IP telephony and/or computernetwork.

The network component 140 is a unit or subsystem that can be networkedwith other networkable components via the network 150. The networkcomponent 140 receives and processes the information transmitted orbroadcast by at least one of the transmitters 120 ₁ to 120 _(N). Thenetwork 140 sends the processed information to other componentsconnected to the network 150 such as the transaction processor 170 orthe network server 180. The network component 140 is configured to beused in any applications that require receiving information (e.g.,location information) from the transmitters 120 ₁ to 120 _(N). Theseapplications may include emergency call location reporting (e.g., E911),commercial transactions (e.g., food delivery), intrusion detection(e.g., detecting location of an intrusive caller or harasser). Thenetwork component 140 may be an emergency server, or associated with atransactional entity 175 via the transaction processor 170.

The network 150 is any network that allows messages or data packets tobe sent and received. The network 150 may be a data enabled PBX, apublic switched telephone network (PSTN), a local area network (LAN), awide area network (WAN), a metropolitan area network (MAN), an extranet,an intranet, or the Internet. The network 150 typically has someprotocol or standard that allows voice and data to be transmitted andreceived. In one embodiment, the network 150 is a data network havingthe voice over Internet Protocol (IP) capability. Protocols that governthe voice over IP may include the standards provided by the ITU such asthe H.323 standard.

The request subsystem 160 generates the activation request or message135 to be sent to the transmitters to request for information inresponse to a telephony call 165. The request subsystem 160 is connectedto the network 150 to exchange network data with other networkcomponents. The telephony call 165 is a call that is processed by the IPtelephony including voice calls and multimedia calls (e.g.,teleconference call, audio and/or video call). The call is normally madeby a person, or activated by a machine. The call may be made by a personwho requests emergency assistance (e.g., E911), or a person who requestsa commercial transaction (e.g., food delivery), or an intruder who makesharassing calls to others.

The transaction processor 170 performs transactional processing tasks ina transaction for a transactional entity 175. The transaction may be acommercial or a financial transaction. For example, the transactionentity 175 may be a food delivery establishment who wishes to confirm orverify the location of the delivery destination. The locationinformation can be automatically sent from one of the transmitters 120 ₁1 to 120 _(N) to the transaction processor 170 via the network 150 whenthe person makes a telephony call 165. This automatic remotecommunication saves time and reduces error in getting the locationinformation based on verbal communication. The transaction processor 170may have storage medium and display unit to automatically store and/ordisplay the received information.

The network server 180 is a server that acts as a network gateway toprovide interface to the network 150. The central authority 185 is anauthority (e.g., local government, public utility) or station thatreceives the information sent by the transmitters. For E911applications, the central authority 190 is the Public Safety AnsweringPoint (PSAP) and the information embedded in the signals includes theautomatic number identification (ANI) and the automatic locationidentification (ALI). In environmental reporting applications, thecentral authority 185 may be an environmental data gathering agency thatcollects environmental data and distributes to news agencies or otherenvironmental agencies. In remote metering reading applications, thecentral authority 185 may be a public utility agency that collects themeter readings of utilities and records for load balancing, loadmonitoring, or billing purposes.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating one of the transmitters 120 ₁ to 120_(N) shown in FIG. 1 according to one embodiment of the invention. Thetransmitter 120 includes a reception unit 210, a transmission unit 220,a broadcast information 230, an information message 240, a locationinterface 255, a processor 280, and a memory 290.

The transmitter 120 is a device that transmits a signal 125 uponreceiving the activation request 135 or continuously without request. Inone embodiment of the invention, the transmitter 120 is a stand-alonedevice, in a wall or ceiling mountable case. The transmitter 120 mayalternatively be embedded in a building or any area where the presentinvention might have application. In other embodiments of the invention,the transmitter 120 may be built into an always-on appliance such as asecurity system, a smoke detector, a server, a telephony apparatus, asan adjunct to an electrical or telecommunications socket or the like.For portable applications, such as when the transmitter 120 is not fixedto a permanent location, the location interface 255 is a GlobalPositioning System (GPS) element for the provision of positional data.The location interface 255 processes received signals from orbitingsatellites to derive positional information to an estimated meanaccuracy of plus or minus 100 feet. Additionally, Differential GPS(DGPS) positioning techniques may be used, in which signals from a localtransmitter and orbiting satellites are processed to compute anextremely precise location, with a much smaller error than usingconventional GPS techniques. Positional data may also be provided to thetransmitter 120 from a device that calculates a position by processingsignals from ground-based stations with fixed locations. Further,accurate altitude information may be calculated by a processor taking aninput from a barometric pressure sensor and a local barometric pressuresetting. The local barometric pressure setting may be receivedautomatically from a local weather reporting station, or over a networkconnection, for example, from a weather data provider. There are varioustechniques know in the art for deriving such positional information, andany one of these positioning devices may be coupled with transmitter120.

Alternative to transmitting positional data, the transmitter 120 maytransmit a predetermined code, wherein the code has an associatedlocation that is registered with an address database. This code may becross-referenced with the associated location.

In some embodiments, any of the above geographical locating methods andapparatus may be used in conjunction with the transmitter 120 whenprogramming the location information either into the device or whensending the location information to an address database that storesgeographical location information associated with a predetermined code.

In environmental reporting applications, the transmitter 120 is locatednear the environmental location. In remote meter reading applications,the transmitter 120 is located near the meter. The signal 125 carries aninformation message to be sent over the network 150.

The reception unit 210 receives the activation request 135 sent from therequest subsystem 160 (FIG. 1). The reception unit 210 includes atransmitter decoder 212. The transmitter decoder 212 receives anddecodes the activation request/message 135. In most cases, thetransmitter decoder 212 is a signal detector that detects the signalcarrying the activation request 135. The signal carrying the activationrequest 135 may be a signal having a predefined frequency, code, or bitpattern and the signal detector is designed to detect any signal withthat predefined frequency, code, or bit pattern. The reception unit 210generates an activation command 215 to the transmission unit 220. Thetransmission unit 220 receives the activation command 215 and retrievesthe broadcast information 230. The transmission unit 220 includes amodulator 222 which modulates the broadcast information 230 according toa pre-defined communication protocol that is designed to be compatiblewith the network component 140. The modulated information message 230becomes one of the signals 125 ₁ to 125 _(N) to be transmitted over thecommunication medium 130. The signal 125 may be any one of amulti-frequency (MF) signal, an ultra-red signal, an infra-red signal, amicrowave signal, a RF signal, or any other electromagnetic or opticalsignal.

In one embodiment, the signal modulation uses a pseudo random binarysound (PRBS) technique. The PRBS codes can generate many different codesequences and therefore can help differentiate many different locations.In other words, several transmitters can be installed in close proximitywithout having too much interference. The PRBS signal behaves like whitenoise and is therefore less intrusive and would not cause interferenceto other signal transmissions. Lastly, the PRBS signal level can be verylow, resulting in low power consumption, such that the transmitter canbe turned on all the time. In this case, it is possible that there is noneed to have a transmitter activator. When the telephony number isdetected, it is only necessary to activate the receiver to receive thePRBS signal.

The broadcast information 230 is the information to be transmitted bythe transmission unit 220. The broadcast information 230 incorporatesthe contents of the information message with other information andincludes any one of an identification tag 232, an absolute location 234,a relative location 236, and other information 238. The broadcastinformation 230 is arranged according to a predefined format that can beidentified and decoded by the network component 140. The absolute andrelative locations 234 and 236 are used in applications requiringlocation information such as the GPS data. The absolute locationcorresponds to an absolute reference to a location. The absolutereference includes geographical coordinates such as longitudinal andlatitudinal data.

The information message 240 is any message that is to be sent to network175 according to the application in which this invention is practiced.There are numerous applications that the remote communication techniquein this invention can be used. Some examples of these applicationsinclude emergency reporting (e.g., E911), geographical locationreporting, geographical location verification, information gathering,environmental conditions reporting, remote meter reading, electroniccommerce, commercial transactions, and intrusion detection.

In the E911 application, the information message 230 includes a locationidentifier 250 that identifies the location of the transmitter 120 orthe general location where the transmitter 120 is located. The locationidentifier 250 may include global positioning system (GPS) dataincluding longitudinal, latitudinal, and altitude and other x, y, zcoordinate information. When the transmitter 120 is installed in anoffice building, a hotel, a shopping mall, a large public or privatespace, or any structure, the location identifier 250 may include thespecific street address, the street name, the address number, the suitenumber, the floor number, the room number, or any other locationidentification information. In this application, typically the locationis known at the time the transmitter 120 is installed. Therefore, theinformation message 230 may be pre-programmed or entered with thespecific information. When the transmitter 120 is installed at anotherdifferent location, the information message 240 can be re-programmed,re-coded, or re-entered with the new location information. Theinformation message 240 may be stored in a programmable read only memory(PROM) such as flash memory. The flash memory can be re-programmedremotely via some communication interface at the time the transmitter120 is installed.

In the environmental reporting, the information message 240 may includeenvironmental conditions 260 in the area that the transmitter 120 isinstalled. The environmental conditions 260 may include temperature,humidity, wind speed, barometric pressure, etc. In these applications,the information message 240 may be constantly updated, periodicallyupdated, or updated at the time of activation to reflect the currentenvironmental condition. The environmental condition is provided by anenvironmental sensor 262 such as a temperature sensor, a humiditysensor, a pressure sensor, and a wind speed meter.

In remote meter reading, the information message 240 may include a meterreading 270 from a meter 272. The meter 272 may be installed to reportedutility usage such as electricity, water, or gas consumption at thefacility that the transmitter 120 is installed. The information message240 may be constantly updated or updated only at the time of activationto reflect the current reading of the meter.

The processor 280 is typically an embedded micro-controller that canexecute code to control the operation of the transmitter 120. In someapplications, the processor 280 may be optional. The processor 280 isinterfaced to the memory 290. The memory 290 may include a random accessmemory (RAM) and/or read only memory (ROM) to store program code ordata. The processor 280 executes computer readable program code fordecoding the activation message 135, modulating the broadcastinformation 230, and transmitting the signal 125 to the communicationmedium 130.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating the network component 140 shown in FIG.1 according to one embodiment of the invention. The network component140 includes a receiving unit 310, a location determination unit 320, anetwork interface 330, a receiver decoder 340, a receiver activator 350,a processor 360, and a memory 370.

The receiving unit 310 receives the signal 125 sent from thetransmitters 120. The receiving unit 310 is activated by an activationcommand 315 from the receiver decoder 340 and is enabled to receive thesignal 125 carrying the broadcast information 230 (FIG. 2). Thereceiving unit 310 includes a demodulator 312 to demodulate the receivedsignal 125 and provides the extracted information message 315. Theextracted information message 315 is essentially the same as theinformation message 240 (FIG. 2). The receiving unit 310 then sends theextracted information message 315 to the location determination unit320. The location determination unit 320 is used in applications thatrequire the location information. The location determination unit 320determines the location embedded in the extracted information message315. This may include calculations of x, y, z coordinates based on theGPS data, distance estimates, or any other necessary calculations.

The network interface 330 allows the network component 140 to interfaceto the network 150. The network interface 330 includes a data packet 335to be sent to other networked components. The data packet 335 includesthe extracted information message 315.

The processor 360 is typically an embedded micro-controller that canexecute code to control the operation of the network component 140. Theprocessor 360 may be a media processor with telephony capabilities or adigital signal processor (DSP) to perform other signal processing tasks.In some applications, the processor 360 may be optional. Processor 360may also be implemented by other control means such as a dedicated logiccircuitry, programmable gate array (PGA), a microcontroller, amicroprocessor, a an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), orhybrids of these. The processor 360 is interfaced to the memory 370. Thememory 370 may include a mass storage device (e.g., CD ROM, floppydrive, hard disk drive), random access memory (RAM) and/or read onlymemory (ROM) to store program code or data. The processor 360 executescomputer readable program code for decoding the activation message 345,demodulating the signal 125, and generating the extracted informationmessage 315.

The receiver decoder 340 decodes an activation command 315 sent from thereceiver activator 350 when the signal 125 is to be received. Thereceiver activator 350 may be connected to the receiver decoder 340 viaan electronic interface such as a parallel data interface or a serialdata interface over a serial data bus, or an electromechanical switchingmechanism such as a relay. The receiver activator 350 may be a softwareprogram code executed by the processor 360, or a hardware mechanismcontrolled by the processor 360. The receiver activator 350 sends anactivation message 345 to the receiver decoder 340 in response to thetelephony call 165.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating the request subsystem 160 shown in FIG.1 according to one embodiment of the invention. The request subsystem160 includes a telephony call device 410, a telephony interface 420, atelephony server 430, a telephony connection path 440, and a transmitteractivator 450. In some applications, not all of the elements in therequest subsystem 160 are necessary.

The call device 410 is a device that provides telephony service andtransmits the telephony call 165. The call device 410 may be a telephoneunit 412, a computer 414 (e.g., a notebook, a personal digitalassistant, a laptop, and a desktop computer) with telephonycapabilities, and a cellular telephony device 416. A person can use thecall device 410 in any place or location. For example, a person can usethe call device 410 at home, in a hotel room, or in a public telephonybooth.

The telephony interface 420 provides telephony services to the calldevice 410. The telephony interface 120 is optional in some instances.The telephony services include multimedia interface for voice overInternet Protocol (IP) or any other protocols. The telephony interface120 may include a router, a gateway, or a private branch exchange (PBX)with IP telephony capabilities. The PBX routes the call made by the calldevice 410 through the server 430 via some programmed trunk interface.In another embodiment, the telephony interface 420 may be a device tolisten to the dialed tone, or call setup signaling and detect if acertain number (e.g., 911) has been called.

The server 430 is typically installed near or at the location of thecall device 410. The server 430 is connected to the network 150 and/ordirectly to the transmitter activator 450 to exchange networkdata/messages. The server 430 may be an IP gateway that allows the callto be embedded in a network data to be sent over the network 150. Theserver 430 may be a centralized computer system that has a database 432for telephony services. The database 432 may include a directory oftelephony numbers or people. The telephony numbers are those that needto be detected when a telephony call is made via the telephony device410. For example, the database 432 may include the 911 number for E911service, a phone number of a utility agency to report meter readings(e.g., for gas, water, electricity usage), a phone number of anenvironmental bureau to report environmental conditions (e.g.,temperature, humidity). In other applications, the database 432 mayinclude any telephony numbers that may utilize the remote communicationtechnique in this invention. For example, businesses may find itdesirable to automatically locate the calling party or to verify thelocation of the calling party before placing an order for a product orservice. Such a need arises, for example, with food delivery companies,when receiving orders from customers via a telephony device. Thus, thesebusiness may subscribe to having their number included in database 432,such that the connection to that number causes the transmitter 120 toactivate, as further described below.

The telephony connection path 440 is the telephony link that links theIP telephony interface 420 and/or the call device 410. The telephonyconnection path 440 may be a traditional telephony line in a home or ina business environment, a connection to a data network such as a LAN, aWAN, or a MAN, or a wireless interface to the cellular telephony 416.

The transmitter activator 450 is connected to the telephony connectionpath 440 and/or the server 430. The transmitter activator 450 may beintegral to the server 430 or the telephony interface 420. Thetransmitter activator 450 sends an activation request or message 135 tothe transmitter 120 via the communication medium 130 in response to atelephony call 165 made by the call device 410. In one embodiment, thecommunication medium 130 is air and the activation request or message135 is modulated into any one of a multi-frequency (MF) signal, anultra-red signal, an infra-red signal, a microwave signal, an RF signal,or any other electromagnetic or optical signal. In one embodiment, thetransmitter activator 450 is interfaced to the server 430 and receives acommand from the server 430 when a specified telephony number (e.g.,911) is detected. In another embodiment, the transmitter activator 450is interfaced to the telephony connection path 440 to detect if aspecified number is being dialed. For example, in a home environment,the transmitter activator 450 is a device installed at the telephone boxto listen to the telephone tone being dialed. When the specifiedtelephony number (e.g., 911) is detected, the transmitter activator 450sends the activation request or message 135 to the transmitter 120.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a process 500 for remotecommunication using network telephony according to one embodiment of theinvention.

Upon START, a telephony call is placed via a call device (Block 510).The call device may be a regular telephony handset, a cellular phone, ora notebook computer with audio interface capabilities. Then, the process500 determines if the number dialed is the specified number (e.g., 911)(Block 515). If not, the process 500 proceeds to process the call asnormal (Block 520) and is then terminated. Otherwise, the process 500activates the transmitter by sending an activation request or message(Block 525).

Then, the process 500 decodes the activation message at the transmitter(Block 530). The decoding may simply involve detecting a signal with aspecified characteristic (e.g., specified frequency, code). Next, theprocess 500 retrieves and sends the information message (e.g., locationidentifier) to a receiver via a communication medium (Block 535). Thesending of the information message may involve modulating theinformation message according to a communication protocol.

Then, the process 500 determines if the information has been reliablyreceived (Block 540). If not, the process 500 generates an errorcondition (Block 545) and is then terminated. Otherwise, the process 500de-activates the transmitter (Block 550). Next, the process 500 receivesthe signal sent over the communication medium (Block 555). Then, theprocess 500 demodulates the received signal to extract the informationmessage (Block 560). Next, the process 500 embeds the extractedinformation message in network data in a data packet (Block 565). Then,the process 500 sends the network data in the data packet via thenetwork (Block 560). Next, the process 500 receives the data packet withthe information message (Block 565). The process 500 is then terminated.

While this invention has been described with reference to illustrativeembodiments, this description is not intended to be construed in alimiting sense. Various modifications of the illustrative embodiments,as well as other embodiments of the invention, which are apparent topersons skilled in the art to which the invention pertains are deemed tolie within the spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of operating a communication system, themethod comprising: receiving an activation request at a location-awarecomponent of the communication system, the activation request indicatingoccurrence of an activation event; in response to the activationrequest, sending a signal indicating a location of the location-awarecomponent to a networking component of the communication system;receiving the signal indicating the location of the location-awarecomponent at the networking component; and sending a signal indicatingthe location of the location-aware component into a communicationnetwork toward at least one network server communicatively coupled tothe communication network.
 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:sending a signal indicating the activation event with the signalindicating the location of the location-aware component sent from thelocation-aware component to the networking component; and sending asignal indicating the activation event with the signal indicating thelocation of the location-aware component sent from the networkingcomponent toward the at least one network server.
 3. The method of claim2, further comprising sending the activation request from an activationcomponent of the communication system to the location-aware component inresponse to the activation event.
 4. The method of claim 3, wherein: thecommunication system includes a plurality of location-aware components,distributed at respective geographically spaced locations; and sendingthe activation request from an activation component of the communicationsystem to the location-aware component in response to the activationevent comprises sending a local activation request signal from theactivation component for detection only by at least one location-awarecomponent located near to the activation component.
 5. The method ofclaim 2, wherein: the activation component includes at least one sensor;and the activation event comprises at least one sensor reading.
 6. Themethod of claim 5, wherein the signals indicating the activation eventcomprise signals indicating the at least one sensor reading, and themethod further comprises: receiving the signal indicating the at leastone sensor reading and the signal indicating the location of thelocation-aware component at the at least one network server; andprocessing the at least one sensor reading and the location at the atleast one network server.
 7. The method of claim 2, wherein theactivation event comprises a commercial transaction.
 8. The method ofclaim 7, wherein the signals indicating the activation event comprisesignals information pertaining to the commercial transaction, and themethod further comprises: receiving the signal comprising informationpertaining to the commercial transaction and the signal indicating thelocation of the location-aware component at the at least one networkserver; and processing the information pertaining to the commercialtransaction and the location at the at least one network server.
 9. Themethod of claim 2, wherein the activation event comprises initiation ofa communication session by a component of the communication systemlocated near the location-aware component of the communication system.10. The method of claim 9, wherein the communication session is anemergency communication session.
 11. The method of claim 10, whereinreceiving the activation request comprises receiving the activationrequest from a mobile communication device in response to initiation ofthe emergency communication session.
 12. The method of claim 10, whereinthe emergency communication is a 911 call.
 13. The method of claim 12,wherein receiving the activation request comprises receiving theactivation request from a mobile telephony device in response toinitiation of the 911 call.
 14. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising determining a current location of the location-awarecomponent.
 15. The method of claim 14, wherein: the location-awarecomponent includes a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver; anddetermining a current location of the location-aware component comprisesdetermining the current location using GPS.
 16. The method of claim 15,wherein: the location-aware component includes a receiver; anddetermining a current location of the location-aware component comprisesdetermine the current location based on signals received fromground-based transmitters having known locations.
 17. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the location-aware component has a known fixedlocation.
 18. The method of claim 1, wherein sending the signalindicating the location of the location-aware component into thecommunication network toward the at least one network servercommunicatively coupled to the communication network comprisesbroadcasting the signal indicating the location of the location-awarecomponent onto the communication network.
 19. The method of claim 2,wherein sending the signal indicating the activation event with thesignal indicating the location of the location-aware component into thecommunication network toward the at least one network server comprisesbroadcasting the signal indicating the activation event with the signalindicating the location of the location-aware component onto thecommunication network.